Hey John - Thanks for posting this question as I'm also in the market and looking at both the Dawes SST and the Messenger. Don't know where you live, but in NYC people think they can charge and arm and a leg for a bike on craigslist - kinda frustrating. A friend of mine is selling a messenger for $200, so even though I like the Dawes more, I might go with the messenger just b/c it's cheaper (plus already assembled, which saves about $40 my lbs would charge), still an ok bike for what I need, and better than what I can find at a store around here. Also looked at the Hounder as well as the SE Draft on PerformanceBike (coupons were getting it down to around $180), but a friend of mine said the Messenger was better than the Draft.
Anyway, I'll let you know what I end up doing and hopefully any feedback can help you out as well.
Happy riding